Mr Talkative
by AnimeCraze8
Summary: As Anna begins travels with Kratos, she discovers the stoic mercenary has much more on his mind than he expected, and she's grateful she gets insight on his thoughts. He tends to ramble about the most intricate details, to her surprise. She loves every moment of it. "Yuan likes to eat grapes with chopsticks—what's wrong, Anna?" "…Oh, it's nothing." [Multiple oneshots, very fluffy.]
1. Chapter 1: Question and Answer

**Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of Symphonia or the cover image.**

**Chapter 1: Question and Answer**

On the day Kratos first rescued Anna from the ranch, talking to him was like trying to make conversation with a brick.

At first, she was just so shocked that someone like him would even bother trying to save her. According to what she had been hearing around the ranch, she was "of great importance" and "precious to the Angelus project". He seemed so enchanting, as if she was her guardian angel that had come to save her from destruction. Then, she regained her proper conscience and her burning curiosity came crawling back to her.

The only things he answered were the important questions, which were mainly all of the questions she had asked, but he refused to respond to one. It seriously was frustrating her, because in her mind set, it was the question that needed the most answering.

"Why did you save me?" she tried asking again as they walked through the forest, the trees casting distorted shadows across the grassy pathway. She forced herself to look at him to see his expression, but, as usual, he showed nothing on his face. Her eyebrows furrowed with irritation and narrowed her bright green eyes. "Kratos?"

"…The topic is not important. It needs not to be discussed," he replied shortly after a couple seconds of tense silence. He said that every time she asked him. Honestly, bricks. What else did she expect—"Although you are most likely frustrated with my lack of a response, you will receive your answer one day." _Oh. _That was new.

"…Okay," Anna mumbled in a disgruntled tone, slightly unhappy with his current answer. She decided not to push it, as it was the tenth time in a row she had asked him in the past thirty minutes. On the bright side, he_ did_ offer to tell in the hopefully near future.

"…Anna, was it?" he spoke suddenly, surprising her. He barely started conversations on his own accord. She knew at least that much after spending around six hours with him.

"Yes, that's my name. Why do you ask?" she wondered, turning her gaze to the ground, watching her feet shuffle through the gentle tones of the dirtied oranges, mellow yellows, and burnt reds of the leaves. Autumn was such a lovely season to behold.

"…Anna, what is the reason you ask so many questions?" he inquired. Her head snapped up, looking right at him on impulse. Perhaps it was just her imagination, but his eyes seemed a little more focused on her than usual. It made her feel a little more flustered than your average run away.

"I—well," she stumbled over her words, her mind straining to conjugate and structure a proper response. "You're the one who broke me out of the ranch and you seem to have a high status there, so I just assumed you would have the answers. I…trust you."

"Are you certain I am really one to trust?" he challenged, straightening his back. Oh, dear, he appeared so much taller that way. He clearly really wanted an answer to that, especially since he was staring at her with such an intrigued gaze. It sparked her wonder as well.

"What would I do if I couldn't trust you? Kratos, maybe you don't know this, but you're all I have left here," she sighed, internally reprimanding herself for telling strangers all of this. But, was he really going to be a stranger at the end of the day? "When I was taken away from Luin to the Asgard human ranch, my parents were slaughtered for trying to resist. When my grandmother interfered also, they took her life too. As probably one final punishment, they burned my house to the ground. My family told me we had no relatives left, except grandma. I…I have nothing." She took a deep breath, blinking.

"…Then, why do you continue?" he pushed further, still looking at her with that same seriously puzzled look. "What is your reason for life, if you claim to have nothing?"

"Oh—I don't know," Anna murmured softly, looking straight ahead of her and up into the sky, where the blue was adorned with puffy white clouds. "Maybe I just want to prove I'm stronger than the Desians. I want to see the world, because I think it's beautiful. I can do so much more. You know? I have a lot of time left." She felt the corners of her mouth tip upwards and the sudden twinge of genuine happiness warmed her scarred heart.

"I know all too well about time myself," Kratos whispered. He suddenly seemed as if he had battled through wars and tore through thousands and thousands of years of nothingness and pain. He appeared so…worn. "I don't…have much left either," he admitted, avoiding her gaze. "May I ask you one last question?"

"Of course."

"If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?"

"Me? I…would love to go to…Iselia—the village of oracles."

"Is there a reason for that?"

"You said the other question was your last," Anna laughed, now smiling fully. Kratos seemed taken aback by his own actions, stiffening up in embarrassment.

"Oh, my apologies. I'll stop," his voice was low and uncertain, as if he was a puppy being scolded for wetting inside the house. The sight almost forced another laugh out of her.

"I don't mind the questions, in all honestly. I enjoy answering them. As for why…Actually, it just seems like a nice place to settle down and live a calm, peaceful life. Maybe get married and raise a family? I have no idea…"

Kratos was silent and stared out into the road, either pondering what to say next or just thinking about her answer. Anna began to wonder if her answer was truly so strange. Sure, there were other grander, better places in Sylvarant, like Palmacosta, for example. But, yet, ever since she heard about Iselia, she had dearly wished to go and live there.

"…That is a nice idea," Kratos said. "How about…I promise to take to you to a place called Flanoir one day?"

"Flanoir? I've never heard of it."

"That's not surprising. Nearly no one in Sylvarant does. It's a large city and it's always snowing there. It may sound chilly and bitter, but it's a very pleasant area. The people are welcoming and hospitable. There's also a certain lookout where you have a view of the entire city. It's best when you look at it at night, because the lights make the sight…well, perhaps more magical." Anna blinked in shock. She never heard him talk so much in one sitting.

"Why would you ever take me there?"

"Truthfully, I always wished to take someone there to enjoy the place with me. I don't particularly have any friends, so…Yes. That is all." He cleared his throat awkwardly.

"Hey, could you show me where it is on the map? I've never seen it charted," she pointed out, suddenly running behind Kratos to try and open his backpack to reach in and grab the world map. "It is down south? Or west?"

"Neither," Kratos gently grabbed her hands and led them away from his backpack. "There's no map in there, regardless."

"Then…where is it?" It was his fault for getting her so interested in a place she hadn't known existed. The least he could do was informing her of the basic information.

"It's a secret."

"Wha—Huh?" _The_ Kratos Aurion, steel statue of us all, simply stating it was a secret? It seemed almost childish to say so, or even…playful? No. It was impossible to tell with his emotionless, stoic tone of voice. "Can't I at least have a hint?" she begged.

"…Very well. All I will say is that no matter how you long search on Sylvarant, you will never find it."

"But—then, how does this town even exist, if it's not on this world?"

"It does exist. I've been there."

"…I don't believe you!"

"You'll believe me once I take you there."

"_If _you ever take me there is the question."

"…No, no more questions."

"But—?"

"Enough!"

**AN:**

**Next chapters:**

_**Chapter 2: Kindness and Care**_

**Anna finds herself constantly being pestered by Kratos, whether she wants it or not. She knows it's just his strange way of showing he cares, but worrying about paper cuts simply isn't helping. But seeing him so careful warms her heart. Perhaps, he would even be willing to reply to her question that went unanswered. **

_**Chapter 3: Trust and Reassurance**_

**I hope this was enjoyable! Please tell me what you think of the fanfiction so far. I'm planning on making this around 11 chapters, and they will all be in chronological order. It would absolutely make my day if you reviewed! It lets me know you actually read the whole thing and like it. Thank you so much!**


	2. Chapter 2: Kindness and Care

Chapter 2: Kindness and Care

"Anna, is that a cut? Here, I'll use heal—"

"Kratos, it's a paper cut. I-It's fine!

Anna was quite surprised to find out in the next week that he would be constantly checking and worrying about her.

It's not that she didn't appreciate the gesture. No, she was really very grateful he was even bothering to pay attention to her so intensely, but he was worrying about every little thing so much it was seriously getting on her nerves. He was stressing out about every little cut, claiming she was going to get an infection if he didn't disinfect it. Sure, if it was a cut on her leg, then she would be the one asking her own self for healing. But he was pointing out things like a small paper cut!

"I just want to heal any wounds before it's too late. I can't seal everything with my healing artes," he chided her, reminding her of this once again. She could only sigh and roll her eyes.

"I know, I know," she repeated dully, forcing her legs to move. She was actually getting very worn out by all this speed walking and running, but she didn't want to complain. Anna also wanted to get as far away from the Desians as possible. The scars on her body began to throb just thinking about it, so she just pushed away the thought.

"…Are you sure you're feeling alright?" he questioned solemnly. "Your face looks rather flushed."

"I—No, no, I'm really doing amazingly well," she rushed her words out, only now realizing her cheeks were burning pink. She mentally scolded herself, _stupid, stupid! Don't blush so easily! Why even are you blushing?! _

While she was talking to herself, Kratos went dead silent again. Anna shoved it off as one of those things he just happened to do. Then, he stopped walking completely. She soon halted to a stop right next to him, straining her ears to pick up any noises. What was wrong? She couldn't hear anything out of the norm. Was he hearing something she wasn't?

"Anna, we have to run," he whispered lowly under his breath. She nearly groaned for her aching limbs, but instead, she nodded once. He began at a fast run and she struggled to try and keep up with him. Was he usually so fast? Well, normally she could keep up, but she was just so tired—

"Anna!" Oh, poop. She didn't even realize she fell until he called her name. She tried to get up, but she felt her arms slipping again, and she fell back down onto the ground. Dirt smeared the palm of her hands.

Then, in one swift motion, she felt herself being lifted up. It was all so fast the world had suddenly became a blur of green and brown. As she blinked to regain her focus, she realized Kratos was holding her in his arms, sprinting. He didn't feel like he was running so quickly and roughly—as a matter a fact, his arms were so careful and warm, it was as if he was cradling her.

Slowly, she closed her eyes.

…

The first noise she heard was the fire crackling.

The second was Kratos' almost inaudible breathing.

Blinking several times, she narrowed her eyes to force them to focus. She rubbed at her eyes and felt herself wrapped up in a particularly cozy blanket. She was lying down on the soft grass, snuggled into the sheets. Her first sight was Kratos with his eyes wide open, watching her. She smiled uncertainly and stared up at the dark evening sky. The sun was on the verge of going away.

"Are you hungry?" Kratos murmured, giving her a careful look. Anna slowly pushed herself up and yawned widely, stretching her back and arms. She nodded once after her stomach gave a dangerously loud grumble. It wasn't like she was exactly fit…The cruel Desians back at the ranch had nearly starved them to death. They were given enough so that they would be clinging to death's edge, but would still be able to hang on.

Wordlessly, he handed her a lemon gel and half a loaf of hearty, whole wheat bread. Anna bit gently into the gel, the smooth lemony taste tingling on her dry tongue. She happily ate the bread in silence, soon discovering she was much hungrier than she was. In less than a minute, she had wolfed down both of the snacks without rest.

"Hey, did you eat already?" she asked above the crackling of the flames. She watched the fire particles float up into the air along with the smoke, wrapping her blanket closer around herself.

"Yes," he replied simply. Maybe she was just imagining things, but whenever he claimed he ate, slept, or rested, it always seemed like a lie. She mildly suspected he hadn't done any of those things in the time they had spent together. The food supply should have already been gone through if they were both eating. But it was still half-full.

"Are you sure? The food should have been gone a long time ago if we were both eating," Anna accused suspiciously, licking at her teeth for the bread grains and smears of lemon. "Do you even sleep, either? You've taken the night shifts every day for the past week. What…What _are_ you?"

"…" He was quiet for a minute, but shock was evident on his face. Then, he became just as emotionless as he was a few moments ago. "I…am human. I cannot promise to tell you everything, but there is a possibility I will tell you one day."

"Oh, you're not telling me that, either," Anna mumbled under her breath, where she thought the angels would never hear. "...Well, are you at least going to tell me why you saved me? It's already been a week and a half since then," she remembered, suddenly more awake than ever.

"…Very well. I see no harm in doing so as of now," he responded, straightening his posture and clearing his throat. "I honestly am still trying to answer that myself. I just saw you so bright, being restrained from the beauty of this world that you deserve and saw you wanted your rights as a human being. You wanted to…be free. I believe I saw myself in you."

"You? In someone like me?" she breathed.

"That's the first part of it," he admitted, looking down into the burning, dark firewood singed with ashes. "I've been trying to find out truly why I wanted to help you, but…I have no idea. Perhaps I'll never know." He ended with a sharp breath and then a sigh.

"…Hey, Kratos?" she rose her voice with a nervous tone.

"Yes, Anna?"

"I think…that you don't need to have a reason to save someone. Maybe people just want to some good in the world. Possibly to make up for something?" she scrunched up her nose, as if she smelled something rotten. "I don't know what you've done, since you're one of the four sera-whatever, but…" she smiled encouragingly. "…you're a good person."

Then, without warning, the most genuine smile appeared on his face. It knocked the air right out of her and she could only stare in wonder. She had never seen him smile, no, not once. He looked so peaceful with the world right then, as if everything was right.

"Thank you, Anna…" he trailed off into the silence, the smile soon falling from his lips. "You may not think what you said was important, but actually—no one has said that to me for years. The only time I remember anyone telling me that was when I was a child."

(A/N: Remember Kratos is 4,000+ years old, and the last time he was a kid was…yeah. OK. Now go on and control the feels, if any.)

"That's terrible," she gasped. "You're so kind, but have received nothing in return."

"I'm not without fault and sin," he said lowly. "I have done horrible things, things beyond your belief, which would surely make you hate me." His voice was so quiet and shameful it was barely a whisper. She had to strain her ears to make out the words. "You…need not…concern yourself…with…the matter…" Anna let the words settle gently and allowed herself to fix up the scrambled words in her mind.

"I couldn't hate you," she shot back. "After you saved my _life_?! That's insane, Kratos. I owe everything to you. Please, keep that in mind." The ashes of the earlier smile were still lingering on his lips and soon, she was mirroring his expression with genuine emotion.

Soon the fire shriveled into a small flame and it was time to sleep. She curled up on the grass with a blanket, using a bundle of Kratos' older clothes as a replacement pillow. She eventually began to fade away into sleep, as the sun went beneath the sky and the night became lively.

Just before she fell into deep sleep, a faint warmness grasped her hand.

**AN:**

** NEXT CHAPTERS:**

** Chapter 3: Trust and Reassurance**

** Kratos is still unsure if Anna exactly trusts him. Telling him how she feels about it all is like spelling out all the words in a sentence for a child, but she does it anyway. She vaguely remembers her grandmother telling her, "If something is dear to you, hold on to it and never let it go." She comforts him as he proves her words right.**

** Chapter 4: Festivals! Red and Green**

** Thanks for taking the time to read! Also, for the people that reviewed for the last chapter, I really appreciate it. I never would have seen those mistakes on my own. I'll make sure to go back and revise them later. **

** I would **_**love it**_** if you guys reviewed! The first two reviews made sent me into a full-blown sunshine happy mode for the rest of the day, ahaha!**


	3. Chapter 3: Trust and Reassurance

Chapter 3: Trust and Reassurance

"Anna, don't…don't I have your trust?"

Kratos' voice sounded smaller among the barrage of footsteps in the distance and the sharp rustling of leaves. The deep pounding of her heart wasn't helping her case, either. He asked her to jump into his arms so they could run away more quickly, yet now…Now she couldn't muster the courage. Her heart felt dreadfully uncertain. Was it fear that she felt?

"I…I think you do," she whispered quietly, walking closer to him. She tried to nod so he would know it was okay for him to carry her, but she felt like a statue. But the thought of him holding her made her feel like she was doing this against her will. She didn't ask to be saved in the first place, but…that was what everyone wanted in a ranch. It wasn't something you asked for—you would beg and plead for it.

"Anna! Hurry!" he said harshly, his eyebrows furrowing. Kratos began muttering words under his breath quickly and then turned around. The ground under the soldiers' feet broke and fire spat out of the crevice, forcing some to jump back before they could be killed like the others. The lower leaves on the tree caught on fire and began to turn into ash.

"I…can't," she choked out. "Just…"

Without another word, he scooped her up. Soon enough, the world became blurred like a beautiful pastel painting. Her breath was lost as everything passed by and the only thing that was clear in her vision was the man holding her. It was odd—usually she felt at more ease when he was holding her. Didn't she fall asleep that one time? (Okay, now that was rather embarrassing.) Perhaps that wasn't as rational as she thought it was. After all, the reason they were running was so they wouldn't be murdered.

The wind rose and rushed with life around her red ears. She almost felt like she was lying down on a fluffy white cloud. Sadly, the uneasiness was still there—how, _why_ was it still there? It felt like such a crime to have doubt in his word. He even waited for her permission to save her life. How considerate could a person get? She always listened to him worry constantly about how he was a terrible person, but yet… He protected her every time the Desians chased after her with bloodstained swords and whips held high, even if he had to dirty his hands and leave hellfire behind them.

She felt the wind fall and soon, the world came back into its harsh focus.

"Can I let you go now?" he asked, barely loosening his hold. Look at him—he even asked for permission for something as trivial as _that_. Oh, goddess, she felt like he was trying to cater to her every whim at times. It was usually when they were in danger of Desians, but sometimes just in general. Once she gave her word of approval, he set her back down on the ground.

She rubbed her forehead, trying to get rid of this disgusting feeling. How exactly did she feel about him, anyway? It couldn't possibly be hate. _Maybe the opposite? Oh, wait,_ she cursed under her breath. _That's called—let's just forget that, then_… Her cheeks burned just thinking of the possibility. Her? In…_love_ with _him?_ It was too much to think about. …But he did look rather toned. He wasn't exactly someone you would call scruffy looking, either. His voice was also—_well, I guess the way I really feel about him is…_

"Anna? What's on your mind?"

"HUH?!" she yelped out of shock. Anna nearly forgot who was standing next to her in the first place. She saw Kratos raise an eyebrow, so she rephrased her word. "I mean, what? Sorry, I overreacted for some reason," she tried to cover up the mess she had made.

"I'm sure you know what I'm talking about." _Crap_. "Your expressions are like crisp words on a page, Anna. You're fairly easy to read," he told her with an intelligent tone. Anna felt part of her soul leave her. Oh, mother of everything holy, did he _know what she was thinking?_ It wouldn't have been the first time it's happened. She's experienced his mind-reading personally with no extra cost.

"Then tell me what you think is on my mind!" she blurted out without thinking. _CRAP. Why did I—nooo! _She tried not to rip her hair out at her slip up _again._ Kratos looked like he already knew that sentence was coming and decided to have an answer ready for it. It only made her feel more anxious.

"Anna, I…"

_Oh my god oh martel save me—_

"…I know you don't trust me whole-heartedly."

_Martel please come save me now—_What.

She stared at him incredulously. _That's_ what he was thinking of? In that case, his mind-reading techniques weren't as perfect as she thought. Anna knew she should be grateful he wasn't right about her thoughts, especially this time.

"Re—Really?" she asked breathlessly out of shock. He raised an eyebrow questionably.

"Am I wrong?" he inquired, his gaze on her. She wanted to slap herself—she was seriously losing her somewhat composed attitude (not that it was actually really that calm anyway). Kratos had his way of always making her flustered in the worst situations. As much as she hated it, every time she felt this subtle giddiness rising in her stomach. It was the oddest, yet most refreshing feeling.

"Well, no—I mean, not _exactly_…It's a little complicated," her voice became smaller at the end, since she honestly knew the crux of the matter. It's not like she could tell_ him_ that, though. She groaned audibly and shook her head furiously.

"So…I'm correct?" Kratos wondered, sounding like he was talking to himself more than to her. "You cannot trust me?" Crap, he literally sounded disappointed. Anna knew he was concealing the distraught, but she could always pick out his emotions, despite him covering them up well.

"I…I don't know," she sighed. "I'm sorry. I'm sure I trust you, but still I…" she trailed off into silence. She had no idea what to say in these types of situations. She'd never been in them before, after all.

"It's fine. Trust is fragile and not made easily. Befriending someone takes a long time," he muttered the last part under his breath, probably hoping she wouldn't hear. She stayed silent, pretending she didn't hear a thing.

_He was trying to become my friend? I never would have expected that,_ she thought. _I really do appreciate it, though…I thought he only saw me as someone to take care of. Not really someone to actually become friends with, but just someone who was always there and needed help all the time. _A smile would have appeared on her lips if it wasn't for the tenseness between them.

The day passed without much more conversation.

The morning greeted her with bright sunlight shining and seeping through the cracks in her tent.

Anna rubbed her eyes as she lazily stumbled out and wasn't surprised in the slightest to see Kratos sitting in the grass with an egg sandwich lying on a clean cloth in his lap. Although it seemed he had been sitting there for some time, he still hadn't eaten the breakfast sitting there. She awkwardly smiled, silently saying good morning. It was still a little too tense to say much. He simply nodded back.

She walked over to their bag, which was full of everything they needed. It was stocked with clothing, tents, mostly imperishable foods, and any other necessities. Anna reminisced trying to pick it up once, but it was like attempting to hold a mountain. She gasped when Kratos picked it up like it was a feather and heaved it over his shoulder. She offered to help, even knowing she couldn't. He claimed it was very light. _Sure, light as a feather…_

Just as she reached into it to grab some bread and ham, Kratos spoke up.

"Anna, wait," he interrupted. She stopped and looked at him getting up. "I…I already have breakfast made for you." He held out the egg sandwich resting in the palm of his hand. "Take it. I had my meal." _He actually bothered to make me breakfast? That's crazy,_ she thought. _He never bothered to actually make a dish for me before. Usually I would make my own, or have a gel or something plain… _

"Wo—Wow, thank you!" she smiled genuinely, taking the offered sandwich. It was just a fried egg between two loaves of slightly stale bread, but she was sure it would be just fine. As far as she could see, the edges looked a pristine white. _Just like how a fried egg SHOULD look. Wow, I never guessed he would be great at cooking, too!_

She took a huge bite into it, since she was feeling especially hungry. She licked her lips, tasting the delicious yolk of the—

She began coughing, immediately grabbing the water can from the bag and gulping the down like hell was chasing after her. She gasped, swallowing once. _What was THAT?! _It tasted like death. She lifted the top of the bread and felt her stomach drop. It was charred a deep black, the core completely burnt.

"Kratos? This—This is burnt pretty, uh…bad," she sighed, lowering the top. Kratos smoothed the front of his shirt uncomfortably. _Well, I can't expect him to be able to do everything, _she reminded herself as she folded up the disaster of a sandwich.

"I'm very sorry," he apologized. "I wanted to make up for yesterday."

"Oh, you really didn't have to," Anna spoke quickly, waving her hands in protest. "I was just—"

"But, I really shouldn't have reacted so strongly. I even said I'm not a person to trust when we first met, yet there I was asking for your trust. It was foolish of me, I was being very thoughtless—"

"No, no," Anna whispered gently, keeping a calm tone. "I was thinking about it quite a bit yesterday, and—"

"As a matter a fact, it's a miracle you're not absolutely scared to have someone as despicable as myself in your company, you deserve so much better than me—"

"That's _not—"_

"I don't know why I tried to form any sort of friendship with you, especially when I'm not a worthy candidate for that, you don't have to trust me, I—"

_Did he just friendzone me? _"**Kratos—"**

"I am even more sure they are after you because of my status, I should have sent someone else to take care of you, you should hate me—"

"KRATOS! FOR THE LOVE OF—Kratos, it's fine! Stop!" she ran over and tackled him, sending them both crashing onto the ground. He blinked once, astonishment written clearly all over his face. She felt heat crawl up her back, but she prayed for them to go away. "I don't _hate you!_ If anything, you should at least assume the opposite!" she yelled. "When I first met you, I said I trusted you. Don't you remember?

…

"_You're the one who broke me out of the ranch and you seem to have a high status there, so I just you would have the answers. I…I trust you."_

"_Are you certain I am really one to trust?" he challenged, straightening his back. Oh, dear, he appeared so much taller that way. He clearly really wanted an answer to that, especially since he was staring at her with such an intrigued gaze. It sparked her wonder as well._

"_What would I do if I couldn't trust you? Kratos, maybe you don't know this, but you're all I have left here," she sighed, internally reprimanding herself for telling strangers all of this. But, was he really going to be a stranger at the end of the day? "When I was taken away from Luin to the Asgard human ranch, my parents were slaughtered for trying to resist. When my grandmother interfered also, they took her life too. As probably one final punishment, they burned my house to the ground. My family told me we had no relatives left, except grandma. I…I have nothing." She took a deep breath, blinking._

…

"Of course I remember," he replied quietly, looking right back at her green eyed gaze. "You just seemed so ready for help at the time. I probably just seemed trustworthy because I was the one who got you out of that hell," he commented dryly.

"That's a lie," she said boldly. "You know it. Kratos, you…you were my knight in shining horse. What? Armor. I mean, armor," she corrected herself embarrassedly. "I was finally failing on the inside. I was so ready to just give up, then you…You appeared at my cell and busted through the bars like it was butter. You said I could trust you to get out of here. I believed you. You said you would protect me. I believed you. I still believe everything that you said that day and I have yet to experience a day where you fail me. I trust you. You're…my…fr—friend." _Why did that word seem so unfitting…?_

Kratos stared at her blankly for a minute. Anna squinted and then her eyes widened to see a small smile on his face. She should have guessed—he was up all night fretting constantly about it. _Typical,_ she thought and laughed.

"Thank you," he whispered, bringing her closer. "Thank you…" She lay there on top of him, having his arms pulled her in a warm hug. The blush couldn't be resisted anymore and redness spread across her face. Luckily he was being too emotional to notice.

The warmth enveloped her. She squirmed her arms out and hugged him back, the tension dissipating into nothing. It felt very nice just resting there, the sun warming her back.

While traveling, they stood just a little closer to each other.

**AN:**

**I hope this chapter was alright! :D It was a little bit longer than my other two chapters, but I have the mindset, "the longer, the better". Please leave a review! If there are any spelling errors and such, please let me know, and I'll try to get them fixed ASAP. Thanks so much! Seeing your reviews really makes me happy. No joke, bruh. It gets more romantic in the next couple chapters. Double triple pinkie promise surprise.**

**Next chapters!**

**Chapter 4: Festivals! Red and Green**

**Kratos and Anna happen to walk in on a festival in Palmacosta and she manages to convince him to stay for the fun. They dine fabulously for once and Anna happily brings out the surprisingly competitive side of him in some friendly games. All she wanted was that red flower pin…**

**Chapter 5: Loneliness and Presence**

**Any little suggestions for me? I might be able to use them in future chapters. :)**


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